Explore Brookside Park: Indy’s New, Promising District

It’s not too long ago that Fountain Square was very much a work in progress. Now this area is bustling with local shops and businesses. Since then, other neighborhoods have sprung to life, like the trendy Irvington historic district. The next big neighborhood in Indianapolis is closer than you might think. We’re calling it: Brookside Park is going to be the next hip place to live, work, and play.

Discover Brookside Park

If you’ve never heard of Brookside Park, the district itself is located slightly northeast of Fountain Square, nestled between Rural Street and Sherman Avenue, just north of 16th Street. This area is awesome for a variety of reasons, one of them being the very park it’s named after.

Brookside Park runs alongside the famous Pogue’s Run creek and trail, offering scenic views to drivers and passersby. This gorgeous, 108 acre park offers residents a community swimming pool, a community center, soccer and baseball fields, golf disc areas, basketball courts, and plenty of open space and walking trails to explore. This park also offers outdoor shelters which can be rented out.

The neighboring park, Spades Park is a 31 acre park is more of a greenways park, thought it does have playgrounds and trails to explore. This serene park features a concrete bridge that passes over Pogue’ Run, while the Pogue’s Run trail can be followed from Spades Park to Brookside Park. Spades Park is a hot spot for local festivals and community activities, like the Feast of Lanterns.

Historic Pogue’s Run

Pogue’s Run itself also adds character and history to this unique area. The tale of Pogue’s Run makes this district a little quirkier than most. Legend has it that George Pogue (one of the city’s first settlers and often times referred to as the Father of Indianapolis) disappeared into the woods one day, on a quest to find his allegedly stolen horses. What happened to Pogue remains a mystery, for he was never seen again. Rumors of what happened to Pogue abound, but none have ever amounted to anything substantial. The creek Pogue lived by was renamed in his honor.

These days, Pogue’s Run has become a hip place to explore. While the Pogue’s Run trail gained in popularity, other businesses started embracing this trendy name. In 2010, the community owned grocery store, Pogue’s Run Grocer opened its doors. This unique store is a food co-op, which means the store is there to help boost the local economy and is solely owned and run by community members. Pogue’s Run is different than other co-ops though, because the general public is welcome inside and no membership is required to shop there. You can learn more about this local grocery store at their website.

Benefits to Living near Brookside Park

The Brookside Park area resides inside of a federal Promise Zone. A Promise Zone was a 2014 creation by the Obama administration in which hard working communities are offered assistance by the federal and local government, in order to help the communities thrive. These Promise Zones keep their title for 10 years.

The east side of Indy, where Brookside Park is located was designated a Promise Zone last year and since then has raised close to $10 million dollars in funding. This money has been used to create over 100 full time jobs and several hundred temporary jobs. The ultimate goal is to continue building up this area by increasing the number of local shops, restaurants, and companies along the east side.

One of the famous buildings that has renovation plans in the works is the Rivoli Theatre, a historic building first opened in 1927. Roof repairs are the first step in this renovation process, a plan that hopes to restore this famous building and use it as a local performing arts center to help further bring the Brookside Park community together.

School Districts

Families living here would send their kids to Brookside School 54 or Paramount School of Excellence. According to GreatSchools, Brookide School 54 has an A rating (deemed by the state) and Paramount School of Excellence has a 9 out of 10 rarting on GreatSchools and an A rating by the state.

If you’re looking to get into the next up and coming neighborhood in Indy before prices begin shooting up, check into the historic and lovely Brookside Park area.